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Dell Goes OLED on World’s Thinnest Tablet

The ‘world’s thinnest tablet’, the Dell Venue 8 7000, has been announced at the Intel Developer Forum- using an OLED display. The 6mm-thick product has an 8.4″ OLED screen, with 2560 x 1600 resolution (the same as the Galaxy Tab S (Display Monitor Vol 21 No 25)). It will also use Intel’s Realsense depth-sensing technology … Read more

Google Takes Aim at Emergings With Android One

As expected, Google has launched its first Android One smartphones in India. The initiative is a reference platform where OEMs are offered sub-$100 reference designs, for developing markets. The first three phones are the Spice Android One Dream UNO Mi-498; the Micromax Canvas A1; and the Karbonn Sparkle V. Because Android One enforces a minimum … Read more

Hannspree Prepares for Smartphone Market Entry

Hannspree will expand its mobile product portfolio in Q4, adding large-screen smartphones to its line-up, as well as new tablet PCs. The products will be marketed at ‘affordable…entry-level price points’. The first smartphone, the SN50MC1, will have a 5″ screen (1280 x 720), IPS panel, dual-SIM capability and 1.7GHz octa-core CPU running Android 4.4. The … Read more

HTC’s Desire 820 is Future-Proofed

HTC is seeking to challenge rivals’ large-screen phones with its own middle-of-the-road offering. The Desire 820 features a 5.5″ display and 1280 x 720 resolution, as well as 4G connectivity. The 64-bit octa-core processor (unexpected on a mid-range device) is a Snapdragon 615, from Qualcomm, running Android 4.4. However, the 64-bit support means that it … Read more

Huawei Rises to Phablet Space

We missed Huawei at IFA, but the company announced two new smartphones called the Ascend Mate 7 and Ascend G7. The former features a 6″ display (1920 x 1080), aluminium chassis and octa-core processor (four Cortex A15 1.8GHz cores and four Cortex A7 1.3GHz cores). Fingerprint authentication is also built in. The Mate 7 will … Read more

Intel Highlights Android Reference and Core-M Hybrids

At its recent Developer Forum, Intel showed off an Android reference design programme, intended to simplify the development of Intel-based Android tablets. OEMs will be able to choose from a set of components or a complete bill of materials specification before building a system. New convertible products were also on display, using the Core-M chip … Read more

Low-Cost Vendors to Challenge Tier Ones

Juniper Research has said that smartphone shipments will reach 1.2 billion this year: a 19% YoY rise from 2013’s 985 million. Emerging markets, with high uptake of low-cost models, will drive growth. Products from China’s Xiaomi and those launched under Google’s Android One initiative are likely to challenge major vendors like Apple and Samsung in … Read more

Microsoft Makes Wireless Charging ‘Affordable’

Microsoft’s newest Nokia smartphones, running Windows Phone 8.1, are the Lumia 830, Lumia 735 and Lumia 730 Dual SIM, all of which are described as affordable. The flagship Lumia 830 features wireless charging and ‘the thinnest optical image stabilization system to date on a Lumia’. It will be launched worldwide this month for

Tesco Cancels Hudl Smartphone

Tesco’s Hudl tablet was wildly popular last year, but the company has cancelled plans for a 4G smartphone under the same brand. Since the phone, apparently capable of challenging the Galaxy S5, was first discussed earlier this year, the market has become more competitive. Therefore, Tesco will focus its attentions on the Hudl 2 tablet.